Keep it light for summers

Make-up poses a problem during summer, due to excessive heat and perspiration. It never seems to last and should be kept to a bare minimum, especially during the day. The golden rule for summer make-up is "soft, delicate and very sparing." This is where daily skin care pays rich dividends. If the skin is clear, without any blemishes, one does not need foundation. Heavy foundations become "caked" and streaky with perspiration, showing up natural creases, lines and wrinkles.
If you must use foundation for the day or night, choose a water-based one and blend well. You can even add a drop or two of water, before applying it. This provides a lighter coverage. You can go for pansticks, to which you add water and use. They are also called cake foundations and can be more suitable during summer, especially for oily skin. Before applying powder or foundation, wipe the skin with an astringent lotion or skin tonic. Wrap an ice cube in a clean cloth and wipe the skin with it. This helps to close the pores.

If you leave out foundation, go for a colourless baby powder, which has a light texture and a transparent sheen. Then use a powder blusher and carry your powder compact for "touching up." In fact, compact powder helps to reduce the oily look and provides a smooth texture. Carry wet tissues, or "wet wipes," to refresh the skin during summer. Wipe with the tissue and then touch up with compact powder.

After using lipstick, add a touch of lip gloss, which actually gives a "cool" look. Or, you can use frosty lipsticks, i.e. lipsticks with shine. You can even add a touch of lip gloss on the centre of the upper eyelids. These are some of the tricks to look cool.  For colours in lipstick, choose from light pink and mauve, which are "icy" colours and look cool. It may be a good idea to stick to lipgloss during the day. For the night, you should use brighter colours, as artificial light tends to drain colour. You can go for plum, wine, burgundy, coral, bronze. A touch of platinum can be added to the colour.

Eye make-up during the day should also be light. Just go for eye pencil and mascara to brighten the eyes. Or, you can line your eyes with brown eye shadow or brown eyeliner or brown eye pencil. Gray liner or pencil also looks appropriate for day make-up during summer. Then apply mascara. This helps to darken the eyes, without heavy eye make-up. For the night, eye make-up can be heavier, lining the lids with eye liner or pencil. If you use eye liner, smudge the line with a sponge applicator. This gives a smoky effect and is better than a harsh black line. You can try the felt-tipped eye liners which are available nowadays. They ensure a smooth application and are easier to use than liquid eyeliner. At night, use a frosted highlight (white or very light colour) on the brow bone.

This week's winner is:

I have a fair complexion but my neck is blackish. Please suggest a remedy.

Scrubs can be used as they help to remove dead skin cells and brighten the skin. The skin of the neck is quite thin, so you can use the scrub only once a week if you wish. Rub gently on the skin and then wash off with water. Or, you can apply pure almond oil daily on the neck and massage it on the skin before bath. Mix gram flour (besan) with curd, lemon juice and a little turmeric (haldi) into a paste. Apply it three times a week on the neck and wash it off after half an hour. Then apply the oil as recommended.